Ishant Sharma is asked if he is often considered to be unlucky having to bowl in conditions that are difficult. He is then asked if he would have preferred bowling at Cape Town in the first Test on conditions that were conducive to fast bowling. Sharma smirks, and says, “Actually, I cannot blame anyone for this. I was supposed to play the first Test, but I fell ill as soon as we reached here. I didn’t fully recover and couldn’t play the first game.”
Sharma is quick to point out that he is the senior fast bowler and it was time he took up responsibility and rose to the occasion when needed the most. “Obviously, I am the senior fast bowler of this team, so I have to take responsibility. If I am ready to take responsibility and take those important wickets for the team, I am always up for it.”
Which he was, here in Centurion wherein his figures read 3/46 at a miserly economy of 2.09. Conditions were tough on Day 1. There was hardly anything on the pitch for the fast bowlers with the sun belting down hard and South Africa making full use of the flat yard laid out. The batsmen did try to make merry before Sharma struck to get AB de Villiers on Day 1, got Kagiso Rabada to pull one that bounced off the pitch and then castled Faf du Plessis with a classic inswinger which was nothing less than a fast bowler’s delight.
For Sharma, the key to success was to bowl a disciplined line. “The pitch was quite two paced. On such pitches you have to be very disciplined and we did that. We tried our best to make sure that the game doesn’t go out of control. My effort was to keep bowling in good areas, and bowl in the batsmen’s weak areas. I wanted to set fields and bowl according to plans. I didn’t want to give away too many runs.”
Sharma was at his economical best and often tried to run hard and bang the ball on good lengths; something that was one his biggest strengths. “I always believe in my strength and my strength is bounce,” he said. “I always try to bowl where I can finish my ball on the top of off stump. That is the best chance you give yourself to take more wickets and that’s what I was doing.”
